The present disclosure relates to an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium such as a sheet of paper.
Recording apparatuses such as facsimile machines, copiers, and printers are structured so as to record images on recording media such as sheets of paper and OHP sheets, and can be classified, according to the recording method adopted, into different types such as an inkjet type, a wire-dot type, and a thermal type. Inkjet recording methods can be classified into a serial type, in which recording is performed while a recording head scans across a recording medium, and a line-head type, in which recording is performed by a recording head fixed to the body of the recording apparatus.
An inkjet recording device of the serial type is provided with a recording head that ejects ink while scanning across a recording medium in a direction perpendicular to a recording medium conveyance direction. On the other hand, an inkjet recording apparatus of the line-head type is provided with, for each color used, an inkjet head (recording head) of the line-head type in which ejection nozzles are arranged at predetermined intervals over the entire width of a printing region perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction. And, by ejecting ink from the ejection nozzles corresponding to the printing position in a fashion coordinated with conveyance of the recording medium, printing can be performed over the entire recording medium.
In such inkjet recording apparatuses, in order to prevent drying up or clogging from occurring in the ink ejection nozzles of the recording head, it is typical to cap the recording head in cases where printing is not going to be performed for a long time. Moreover, a recovering process is also commonly performed by forcefully expelling ink thickened within the ink ejection nozzles out thereof through an ejection port of the recording head. Thus, inkjet recording apparatuses are provided with a recording head which ejects ink onto a recording medium, a cap unit that caps the recording head, and a wipe unit which performs a recovering process of the recording head.
In the inkjet recording device of the serial type, which has a small recording head, a cap unit and a wipe unit are arranged in the same carriage such that the cap unit and the wipe unit are moved together horizontally by a moving mechanism.
On the other hand, in the inkjet recording apparatus of the line-head type, which has a large recording head, it is sometimes difficult to arrange a cap unit and a wipe unit in the same carriage. In this case, if the cap unit and the wipe unit are designed to be moved separately, there are provided a cap moving mechanism for horizontally moving the cap unit and a wipe moving mechanism for horizontally moving the wipe unit. In addition, there are provided a cap lifting mechanism for lifting up and down (moving up and down) the cap unit and a wipe lifting mechanism for lifting up and down the wipe unit.